


Other Shores

by sage_theory (papersage)



Category: Heroes - Fandom, The Tomorrow People (1992)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-02
Updated: 2010-03-02
Packaged: 2017-10-07 16:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papersage/pseuds/sage_theory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They grow up, eventually. Always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Other Shores

Molly is a precocious (terrifying, to Matt) thirteen when she brings Adam home. The moment he comes in the door, laughing along with Molly, Matt's heart sinks. Adam is charming, handsome, well dressed, and he can taste Molly's very innocent infatuation the moment he lays eyes on her.

Come to think of it, he's been tasting it for days, but was dearly hoping it was just some boy at school.

So, upon seeing Adam, he thinks, _Damn. I'm going to have to shoot this guy._

He's expecting Adam's recoil upon seeing him there, and he crosses his arms. He puts on the cold, cruel look that makes perps spill their guts, even without the special powers.

What he doesn't expect is for Adam to immediately say, "I should introduce myself, I'm Adam Newman. I'm here about Molly's powers."

You have to be the father of a thirteen-year-old girl to understand why that comes as such a relief despite everything. You have to be Matt to understand why the name Adam evokes hurdy gurdy feelings.

Still, Matt takes no chances. He narrows his eyes and gives his best mental push. _You DON'T want to touch her. Ever._

{No, I really don't,} Adam replies, coolly and with a power behind him like an ocean. At the moment it is calm, but Matt sense that he is outclassed by far.

"Hi. I'm Matt," he says, making no attempt at civility.

"Maaaatt," Molly whines. "Don't be rude. Adam is my friend. Besides, I brought him to meet Mohinder, not for you to give him the third degree."

"Yes, Molly's told me all about you and Dr. Suresh," Adam says, politely. "Nothing but good things."

"I'm sure," Matt says, still stone faced and unconvinced. There is no place in Matt's mind where this man has any legitimate business being near Molly. He's a cop, and he's seen enough seasons of To Catch a Predator to know that it isn't just the skeevy, stupid ones who live in their mom's basement that do this. Sometimes it's a nice looking guy who really, really _really_ should know better.

"Oh come on, Matt, don't be like that," Molly pleads. "He's not like that. He's just my friend."

Matt does a quick scan of Molly's mind just to check that it's true, and so far as he can tell it is.

"So how did you meet Adam?" asks Matt, willing to lean back against the counter because at least now he knows that Adam hasn't done anything. Yet.

"He saved me from drowning!" Molly says, grinning. She tugs Matt to sit down at the kitchen table. "I started dreaming about this island, and I kept trying to find it, but I couldn't, and then suddenly I went there. It's okay, Matt. It's the best. Adam can take us there. He knows about all these people who powers, but they're different. They're called Tomorrow People and I met another one, her name is Jade. Oh my god, Mohinder will so totally freak when he hears about this!"

Matt scans Molly's mind again, and picks up images of an island, bright and beautiful, surrounded by Pacific blue waters with white sand. He also picks up images of Adam diving into the ocean, stripping off parts of a business suit and plucking Molly out of the water as she sank.

And he can feel her excitement, her gush of innocent puppy love and admiration and thrill - he can feel the pitter pat of her heart when she first looked into Adam's face after they'd gotten cleaned up and dried off.

He also sees that Adam immediately summoned a female friend to help Molly do all that and made sure he was far, far on the other side of the island. With his eyes closed, even though there was about five miles of sandy beach between them.

He grins and isn't quite caught up with Molly's tumble of rushed words, but he catches Adam's eyes and says, telepathically, _Thank you._

{You're welcome,} Adam answers back.

Molly keeps right on going, and eventually Matt finds it in his heart to smile though he feels some longing shadow, some sadness coming over him that he can't place until he sees her push a strand of hair behind her ear and smile and realize that she's not so small anymore. He realizes that she's grown beautiful and strong and tall, filled out in ways that are both physical and mental.

He realizes that soon enough, she'll grow tall enough to look him nearly in the eye and one day she'll bring a boy (or a girl) through that door and it won't be just some friend she picked up on a harebrained adventure. He realizes one day she'll bring someone home and that'll be the day she goes home to someone else.

Suddenly, Matt feels a sympathetic tug from Adam and Adam giving him a little mental half smile of comfort.

"Oh my god, are you guys using telepathy without me? I thought we agreed that there wouldn't be any telepathy at the table!" Molly scolds. "Are you listening to me? I asked if you were ready to go."

Matt smiles and laughs at her warmly and remembers the first time her small small hand reached out for his.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

And luckily, only he and Adam knows that it's a lie.


End file.
